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South Korean prosecutor seeks death penalty for ex-President Yoon over martial law declaration: ‘Self-coup’

A South Korean court heard arguments Tuesday seeking the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, as prosecutors accused the ousted leader of orchestrating a rebellion through his controversial martial law declaration in December 2024.

Independent counsel Cho Eun-suk asked the Seoul Central District Court to impose the sentence, arguing that Yoon’s actions amounted to ‘anti-state activities’ and describing the decree as a ‘self-coup.’

Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office last spring, remains in custody while facing multiple criminal proceedings tied to the martial law episode and other controversies from his presidency. Prosecutors say the rebellion charge carries the most severe potential punishment.

Cho’s team argued in court that Yoon sought to prolong his hold on power by undermining South Korea’s constitutional system of governance.

Yoon has rejected the accusations, telling the court that the investigations into his conduct have been ‘frenzied’ and marked by ‘manipulation’ and ‘distortion.’

He has maintained that the declaration of martial law was intended to alert the public to what he viewed as the growing threat posed by the opposition Democratic Party, which used its legislative majority to block his political agenda. 

Yoon argued that the exercise of presidential emergency powers cannot be treated as rebellion under the law.

The court is expected to deliver a verdict next month. Legal experts have said a life sentence is more likely than execution, noting that South Korea has not carried out a death penalty since 1997.

Yoon is the first South Korean president who has faced a potential death penalty after leaving office since Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death in 1996 for various crimes. Chun’s death sentence was later commuted to life in prison, and he was subsequently pardoned and freed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Venezuela releases multiple American citizens from prison following military operation

The interim government in Venezuela has released at least four U.S. citizens who were imprisoned under President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, Fox News confirmed.

The release marks the first known release of Americans in the South American country since the U.S. military completed an operation to capture authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is now facing federal drug trafficking charges in New York.

‘We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,’ a State Department official said Tuesday. ‘This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.’

The release of American citizens was first reported by Bloomberg.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that Venezuela had begun releasing political prisoners.

‘Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.’

Venezuela’s interim government has reported that 116 prisoners have been released, although only about 70 have been verified by the non-governmental organization Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón, according to Bloomberg.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said prisoner releases would continue, according to the outlet.

The U.S. government issued a new security alert Saturday urging Americans in Venezuela to leave the country immediately, citing security concerns and limited ability to provide emergency assistance, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas said.

‘U.S. citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately,’ the embassy said in the alert.

The warning pointed to reports of armed groups operating on Venezuelan roads.

Following the military operation, Trump suggested that the U.S. would ‘run’ Venezuela for an extended period.

‘We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,’ he said.

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Vikings’ Jordan Addison arrested in Florida on Jan. 12

Seminole Police Department officers arrested Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison early in the morning on Jan. 12, Hillsborough (Florida) County Sheriff’s Office records show.

According to the sheriff’s office records, police arrested Addison at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa on a first-degree misdemeanor allegation of trespassing in an occupied structure or conveyance.

Police released the Vikings’ wideout at 2:40 p.m. after he paid bail for a $500 cash bond, less then 11 hours after his arrest at 3:46 a.m. and seven hours after police booked him at 7:33 a.m, according to the publicly available records.

Addison’s agent, Tim Younger, posted a statement to social media on Jan. 13: ‘On Jordan’s behalf, his legal team has already initiated the investigation, identified witnesses, and we are reviewing the viability of a claim for false arrest. He looks forward to the legal process and upon full investigation, we are confident Mr. Addison will be exonerated.’

The incident marks the third run-in with police Addison has had in the last four years.

Before his rookie year in 2023, Minnesota State Patrol cited Addison for speed and reckless driving when an officer observed the Vikings’ wide receiver driving 140 mph in a 55 mph speed limit zone. He pleaded guilty to a petty misdemeanor speeding charge and paid a $686 fine in addition to having his license suspended for six months.

In 2024, California Highway Patrol officers arrested Addison under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). An officer found the wide receiver asleep at the wheel of his car, which was blocking traffic on Interstate 105 near Los Angeles International Airport. About two weeks later, police charged Addison with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with blood-alcohol content over California’s legal limit of .08 percent.

Addison agreed to a plea deal for a lesser, ‘wet reckless’ charge, which is a reckless driving charge acknowledging the influence of alcohol. It carries less severe penalties than a DUI and does not result in a DUI conviction being recorded on a criminal record, according to legalclarity.org. The NFL suspended Addison for the first three games of the 2025 season following his guilty plea.

The Vikings wide receiver finished the 2025 season with 12 starts in 14 games and career lows in receptions (42), yards (610) and touchdowns (3). He also rushed twice for a career-high 81 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

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Rand Paul says GOP colleagues ‘don’t give a s‑‑t about these people in the boats’: They ‘say they’re pro-life’

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accused his ‘pro-life’ Republican colleagues of not caring about the people killed in boat strikes near Venezuela who the Trump administration, without providing evidence, claims were trafficking fentanyl.

During an appearance on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ released on Tuesday. Paul said GOP lawmakers ‘don’t give a s‑‑-‘ about the people who died on the vessels, blasting his colleagues for not granting the presumption of innocence.

‘I look at my colleagues who say they’re pro-life, and they value God’s inspiration in life, but they don’t give a s‑‑- about these people in the boats,’ Paul said. ‘Are they terrible people in the boats? I don’t know. They’re probably poor people in Venezuela and Colombia.’

‘I guess what I don’t feel connected to my Republican colleagues is that those lives don’t matter at all, and we just blow them up. And against all justice, and against all laws of war, all laws of just war, we have never blown up people who were shipwrecked,’ he added, referring to the administration’s reported targeting and killing of survivors of initial strikes who were clinging to wreckage.

The liberty-minded Republican said it is ‘against the military code of justice to do that.’

‘We’re doing it and everybody just says, ‘Oh, well, they’re drug dealers,” he said.

Paul criticized his fellow GOP lawmakers who have repeated the administration’s claims about the boats carrying fentanyl. He also took issue with colleagues who hold the position of, ‘Well, we’re at war with them. They’re committing war by bringing drugs into America.’

‘They’re not even coming here,’ Paul explained. ‘They’re going to these islands in the south part of the Caribbean. The cocaine — and it’s not fentanyl at all — the cocaine’s going to Europe.’

He emphasized that ‘those little boats can’t get here.’

‘No one’s even asked this common question: Those boats have these four engines on them. They’re outboard boats. You can probably go about 100 miles before you have to refuel. Two thousand miles from us, they’d have to refuel 20 times to get here,’ Paul said.

The senator accused the administration of conducting the boat strikes to create ‘a pretense and a false argument’ ahead of the operation to attack Venezuela and arrest its president, Nicolás Maduro.

‘It’s all been a pretense for arresting Maduro,’ he said. ‘So, we have to set up the predicate. We got to show you we care about drugs.’

Paul helped the Senate advance a resolution last week that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela after the U.S. military’s recent move to strike the country and capture Maduro, which the Kentucky Republican said amounts to war. The Upper Chamber could pass the measure later this week, although it faces an uphill battle in the House despite some support from Republicans.

‘I think bombing a capital and removing the head of state is, by all definitions, war,’ Paul told reporters before the procedural vote last week. ‘Does this mean we have carte blanche that the president can make the decision any time, anywhere, to invade a foreign country and remove people that we’ve accused of a crime?’

The lawmaker has repeatedly criticized the administration’s boat strikes on alleged narco-terrorists in recent months, often raising concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people. The senator previously cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

Paul said on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ that he believes the administration might attack Mexico next, which Trump has signaled could be a future target.

‘They want to do that next. They want to bomb Mexico,’ Paul said.

Trump has said cartels are ‘running Mexico’ and that ‘something’s going to have to be done’ because Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is ‘very frightened’ of the cartels.

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GOP senator suggests Fed chair Powell resign now to dodge potential criminal indictment

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., suggested Tuesday that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell should resign to avoid a potential indictment, arguing the move could prompt the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop its investigation.

The suggestion comes after the DOJ announced Sunday it has opened a criminal probe into Powell focused on the renovation of the central bank’s Washington headquarters and whether he was truthful in his congressional testimony regarding the project.

‘If you’re the attorney for Jay Powell and you want to avoid an indictment, how about you go to Jeanine Pirro and say, ‘I’ll make a deal. I’ll step down today if you’ll drop the investigation today,” Cramer said on FOX Business’ ‘Kudlow.’

Cramer added that his proposed legal strategy would be ‘a win-win for everybody.’

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on X Monday that her office had contacted the Fed ‘on multiple occasions to discuss cost overruns and the chairman’s congressional testimony, but were ignored, necessitating the use of legal process — which is not a threat.’

‘The word ‘indictment’ has come out of Mr. Powell’s mouth, no one else’s,’ Pirro continued. ‘None of this would have happened if they had just responded to our outreach. This office makes decisions based on the merits, nothing more and nothing less. We agree with the chairman of the Federal Reserve that no one is above the law, and that is why we expect his full cooperation.’

Powell provided testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last year regarding a significant renovation to two main office buildings in the Fed’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The project is expected to cost $2.5 billion and is being paid for by the central bank, not taxpayers.

Powell confirmed in a video statement Sunday that the Federal Reserve had been served ‘with grand jury subpoenas’ that threatened ‘a criminal indictment.’

While Powell said he respected the rule of law and congressional oversight, he asserted that the Justice Department’s move was ‘unprecedented’ and politically motivated.

‘This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings,’ he said. He added that the threat of criminal charges is a ‘consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president.’

A spokesperson for the Fed told Fox News Digital the Fed would not have any comment beyond Powell’s video message from Sunday.

Cramer cautioned on ‘Kudlow’ that an indictment could negatively impact the economy.

‘I don’t want to do anything to disrupt this incredible rocket ship economy we’re enjoying right now,’ he said. ‘We’ve got other big things to do that I’d rather focus on than an indictment.’

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

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Ryan Weathers trade grades: Who won Yankees-Marlins deal?

For the second time in as many weeks, the Miami Marlins traded from their starting pitching surplus.

After trading Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Marlins on Jan. 13 agreed to a trade to send left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees for a package featuring four hitting prospects.

The prospect package headed back to Miami is headlined by outfielder Dillon Lewis, who MLB.com ranks as the Yankees’ No. 16 prospect in their system. Lewis, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenethal, was a name that Miami was seeking from the Yankees in talks for Cabrera.

Weathers, 26, is the son of longtime MLB pitcher David Weathers, who was actually traded from the then-Florida Marlins to New York at the 1996 deadline. Ryan Weathers went 2-2 in eight starts in 2025 with a 3.99 ERA in 38⅓ innings.

Ryan Weathers trade grades

New York Yankees

Weathers joins a Yankees rotation that will be down Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to start the season due to injuries. If Weathers remains healthy, he could slide into the rotation with Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, until Cole and Rodón return.

Health, however, has been a major detriment for Weathers in his young career. Over the last two seasons, he has been limited to just 24 starts and 125 innings.

When healthy, Weathers features a fastball that averaged 96.8 mph in 2025, per FanGraphs, and can also miss bats with his changeup and sweeper.

Miami and Weathers settled on a $1.35 million salary last week, avoiding arbitration. Weathers is eligible for arbitration twice more and will not be a free agent until the 2028-29 offseason at the earliest.

Grade: B+

Miami Marlins

Surprisingly, the Marlins are moving a second starting pitcher in as many weeks. Miami is clearly seeking to prioritize adding hitting prospects into its system, acquiring the quartet of Lewis, Brendan Jones, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.

Lewis, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenethal, was a name that Miami was seeking from the Yankees in talks for Cabrera. The 22-year-old outfielder was a 13th-round pick in 2024 out of Queens University of Charlotte. He posted a .237/.321/.445 slash line with 22 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 2025.

Jones is ranked as the No. 15 prospect in New York’s system, per MLB.com. He hit for a combined .245/.359/.395 line between High-A and Double-A with 51 stolen bases in 60 attempts in 2025.

MLB.com ranks Jasso as the 23rd prospect in the Yankees’ system. The former undrafted prospect hit .257/.326/.400 with 13 homers in Double-A in 2025.

Matheus finished with a .275/.365/.376 line with 40 stolen bases in A-ball last season.

Despite trading Weathers and Cabrera in the last two weeks, the Marlins still have former Cy Young pitcher Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez atop the rotation for 2025. Braxton Garrett and Max Meyer should slot into the 3-4 pitching slots, while prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling reached Triple-A in 2025 and could crack the rotation sometime in 2026.

Grade: A-

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Cardinals end year-long saga by finally trading 8-time All-Star

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks tried to trade All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, flirted with free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, and wound up Tuesday acquiring Nolan Arenado.

This outcome wasn’t on the D-backs’ winter bingo card, but for a team trying to stay competitive in the National League West while still reducing payroll, they’ll take it.

Certainly, acquiring a 10-time Gold Glove winner and eight-time All-Star for the price of a fringe prospect, with the Cardinals paying most of Arenado’s salary, turned out to be a perfect fit. Arenado still has two years and $42 million left on his contract, but the Cardinals are paying $31 million of his deal, wity the D-backs responsible for just $5 million this year and $6 million in 2027.

They didn’t even have to give up a top-30 prospect with right-hander Jack Martinez, an eighth-round draft pick from Arizona State a year ago, going to the Cardinals. Martinez has yet to make his professional debut.

“We think he really solidifies our defense in the infield,’’ said Mike Hazen, D-backs president of baseball operations. “That’s been a priority for us to improve our defense, which I believe is going to have a direct impact on our pitching in a significant way.’

Really, the trade was made to accommodate Arenado, 34. He didn’t want to remain in St. Louis since they are in a full-scale rebuild, and the Cardinals wanted to give playing time to their young players.

Certainly, the Cardinals would have received a much greater return a year ago but Arenado exercised his no-trade rights to veto a trade to the Houston Astros. He also told the Cardinals that he didn’t want to join the Los Angeles Angels after they expressed interest. His hope was to be traded last spring to the Boston Red Sox and join his former Colorado Rockies teammate Trevor Story, but the Red Sox instead signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract.

The Red Sox lost Bregman on Saturday when he signed a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, but the Red Sox had no interest in Arenado this time around. He fell into the D-backs’ laps when the Cardinals agreed to pay three-quarters of his contract.

The Diamondbacks are hoping that Arenado not only bounces back after his struggles last season, but provides veteran leadership to their young clubhouse. Bregman’s leadership skills also attracted the D-backs, who were interested in potentially signing Bregman, but only if they were able to trade Marte.

“We’ve always liked the way he’s played the game,’’ Hazen said. “The impact he can have when he’s not playing, inside the walls, is important to us. He’s a good fit from that standpoint too.

“I know how much winning means to him, and it’s important to us.’

Arenado, who has a home in Orange County, Calif., told USA TODAY Sports in a text message Tuesday that he is thrilled to be joining the D-backs and will look for a home in the Phoenix area. He used to have a home in Scottsdale when he played for the Colorado Rockies, and was a frequent visitor at former D-backs World Series hero Luis Gonzalez’s home to use his batting cages.

Arenado, 34, has struggled the past two years, but believes he can be a productive third baseman, and optimistic that he will bounce back from last year’s dismal season. He played in only 23 games the second half of last season with a right shoulder strain, hitting just .237 with 12 homers – his lowest total since 2013. Arenado replaces veteran Eugenio Suarez, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners at last year’s trade deadline.

“We definitely see the ability to bounce back here,’ Hazen said. “We’re excited about that. We know how much work he’s going to put into that. I know he’s going to put in every amount of work and energy into doing that, and we probably have a little better ballpark to hit in.

“So, we look for him to be a solid offensive contributor for us in our lineup. With the firepower we have at the top of our lineup, we’re not looking for him to carry the offense. We don’t need him to carry the offense. We need him to solidify and stabilize our defense, that’s a huge component to this.’

The Diamondbacks, who won the National League pennant in 2023 but missed the playoffs the last two seasons,  are hoping to stay in contention until their team gets healthy. Ace Corbin Burnes, who signed a $210 million contract last winter, is expected to return in the second half after recovering from Tommy John surgery. They also expect to have left fielder Lourdes Gurriel and co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez back before the end of the season.

They brought back free-agent Merrill Kelly on a two-year contract after trading him to Texas at last year’s deadline, and also signed veteran starter Mike Soroka. They still are searching for bullpen help and signed veteran reliever Jonathan Loaisiga to a minor-league contract Tuesday with an invitation to their spring training camp.

“I don’t think we’re anywhere close to one player away from being the best team we can possibly be,’ Hazen said. “We need to continue to shore up multiple areas of our team, and that includes the bullpen and the position player group. We will see what happens between now and opening day.’’

Nolan Arenado trade details

Cardinals get:

  • Minor-leaguer Jack Martinez

Diamondbacks get:

  • 3B Nolan Arenado
  • $31 million

Nolan Arenado contract

  • 2026: $27 million ($5 million paid by Colorado Rockies)
  • 2027: $15 million
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MLB trade rumors: Giants ‘aggressively pursuing’ second baseman

The San Francisco Giants are in the market for a second baseman as they look to improve their roster ahead of the 2026 season.

San Francisco has reportedly been linked to both the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and the Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, as the Giants continue to engage in trade discussions around MLB.

Passan said on X, formerly Twitter, that the Giants are ‘aggressively pursuing’ a second baseman.

Brendan Donovan 2025 stats

Donovan to the Giants has been whispered throughout the offseason.

It’s no secret that the soon-to-be 29-year-old was on the market, and San Francisco wanted to upgrade the second base position.

Donovan hit a career-best .287 with 10 homers, 32 doubles and 50 RBIs in 118 games in 2025. He proved to be a team leader for the Cardinals, both on and off the field, and was named an All-Star.

Donovan won a Gold Glove Award in 2022.

He ranked in MLB’s 96th percentile in batted balls being squared up (36.8%) and in MLB’s 95th percentile in whiff rate (13.4%) in 2025, according to Baseball Savant. He struck out just 13% of the time, which ranked in MLB’s 92nd percentile.

Nico Hoerner 2025 stats

Given the Cubs are signing Alex Bregman, there’s a likely chance that Hoerner is traded.

If Hoerner is dealt to the Giants, it would be a Bay Area homecoming for him. Hoerner is an Oakland native and later enrolled at Stanford University, where he played college baseball.

Hoerner, a seven-year MLB veteran, has been in the big leagues since his debut in 2019.

Last season, Hoerner had a batting average of .297 with seven home runs, 29 doubles and 61 RBIs in 156 games played. According to Baseball Savant, Hoerner ranked in MLB’s 96th percentile for batted balls (36.5%), as did Donovan. Hoerner’s whiff rate (11.2%) is in the 99th percentile in MLB. He also ranked in the 99th percentile in strikeouts (7.6%).

Latest Giants rumors and transactions

The Giants have made a couple of moves during this offseason.

San Francisco added to its bullpen, signing right-handed pitcher Tyler Mahle to a one-year deal on Jan. 5. A month before the Mahle signing, the Giants worked out a deal to bring in Adrian Houser on a two-year deal.

The Giants are looking to improve their infield and are sure to be buyers this offseason as spring training continues to slowly approach.

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The NFL’s 8 remaining playoff teams, ranked based on Super Bowl odds

After an exciting wild-card weekend, just eight teams still have a chance to win Super Bowl 60.

The landscape across the NFL shifted considerably during the wild-card round. Notably, the Philadelphia Eagles – the reigning Super Bowl champions who entered the playoffs with the fourth-shortest Super Bowl odds – were upset by the San Francisco 49ers, slightly shifting the power structure atop the NFC.

Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills’ advancement to the divisional round after a 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars has them climbing the AFC pecking order.

Here’s a look at how the teams remaining in the 2025 NFL playoff race stack up based on their odds to win Super Bowl 60.

NFL rankings by Super Bowl odds

All odds listed are provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. Access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a complete list.

1. Seattle Seahawks (+300)

The Seahawks remain the betting favorite to win Super Bowl 60. Seattle got a week off during the wild-card round after earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed behind a defense that ranked No. 2 overall in defensive EPA per play, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. They now draw a divisional-round matchup against a 49ers team they beat 17-3 in Week 18 to officially win the NFC West and the conference’s No. 1 seed.

2. Los Angeles Rams (+320)

The Rams got a scare from the 8-9 Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round, but bettors aren’t shying away from backing Sean McVay’s squad. Matthew Stafford is playing at an MVP level as part of a balanced offense that has gotten plenty of production out of Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams this season. Their defense has allowed 30 points per game over its last five outings, but Sean McVay’s offense – which leads the NFL in scoring at 30.7 points per game – is plenty good enough to carry the team to victory.

3. Buffalo Bills (+550)

The Bills edged the Jaguars in the divisional round and are now favored to win the AFC. Josh Allen has the best combination of talent and experience among the quarterbacks remaining on the AFC side of the bracket, so it’s easy to see why the sportsbooks like Buffalo. Still, the Bills have some defensive issues – particularly on the ground, where they allow 137.2 yards per game, fifth-most in the NFL – that could trip them up.

4. New England Patriots (+600)

New England’s defense dominated in a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round. Will they be able to continue doing so if Christian Gonzalez has to miss time because of a concussion? That remains to be seen. The Patriots will also need Drake Maye to perform better – a fact the 23-year-old quarterback acknowledged – after he committed two turnovers and was sacked five times against the Chargers.

5. Denver Broncos (+750)

The Broncos have dropped to No. 3 in the AFC pecking order after drawing the Bills in the divisional round. Denver is well-rested after a bye and should be able to bother Allen with a pass rush that generated a league-high 68 sacks in 2025. Any hope of the Broncos making a Super Bowl run will rest on their defense playing well and getting a home-field edge from playing at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

6. Houston Texans (+850)

The Texans have the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense in terms of EPA per play, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. So long as C.J. Stroud and Houston’s offense can be efficient, the Texans will have a chance to prove true the old ‘defense wins championships’ mantra.

7. Chicago Bears (+1400)

Caleb Williams just led the Bears to an 18-point, come-from-behind win against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. It marked the team’s seventh fourth-quarter comeback win of the season. Can Chicago continue to deliver in those spots? It won’t be easy as the team’s bottom-six pressure defense prepares to face Stafford, a quarterback who is elite when kept clean, and the Rams.

8. San Francisco 49ers (+2000)

The 49ers upset the Eagles despite pressuring Jalen Hurts just six times. San Francisco has the third-lowest pressure rate in the NFL, so the team’s struggles in the area were hardly a surprise. Unless Robert Saleh can scheme up a way to generate more heat on opposing quarterbacks, it will be hard for the 49ers to contain top offenses. Add in the absence of George Kittle (torn Achilles) on the other side of the ball and it’s easy to see why oddsmakers aren’t bullish on the 49ers.

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Secret room to be built at Chinese embassy near cable lines, sparking widespread espionage fears

Recently unredacted construction plans for China’s new super embassy in London have ignited a storm of national security concerns across the United Kingdom, as blueprints reveal a hidden underground room positioned alarmingly close to some of Britain’s most sensitive communication cables.

Major critics of the proposed site, which will run as close as three feet to the internet infrastructure, warned that the secret room could serve as a hub for Chinese espionage. While the British government reportedly assured its allies that the lines do not carry sensitive government data, the cables transmit financial transactions as well as communication traffic for millions of internet users.  

The blueprints were publicly unredacted Monday by The Telegraph, just one week before Prime Minister Keir Starmer is widely expected to approve the plans before his visit to see President Xi Jinping in China.  

A government spokesman told the outlet that despite the security concerns, ‘national security is our first duty and government security experts have been involved throughout the process so far.’

According to the blueprint, the facility will be located at the former Royal Mint and will become Europe’s largest Chinese embassy. 

Construction plans indicate that China intends to demolish and rebuild a basement wall, placing officials and equipment just over three feet from critical fiber-optic cables. Security experts have warned that such proximity could create opportunities for ‘cable-tapping,’ which involves inserting wiretaps or reading light signals leaking from the lines.

Professor Alan Woodward, a security expert at the University of Surrey, highlighted the technical feasibility of espionage given the physical layout, The Telegraph reported. He described the demolition as a ‘red flag’ and noted, ‘If I were in their shoes, having those cables on my doorstep would be an enormous temptation.’

Additionally, the concealed chamber appears to be equipped with at least two hot-air extraction systems designed to ventilate heat-generating equipment. Experts reportedly inferred that this infrastructure suggests that the room is designed to accommodate high-powered technology such as advanced computers typically used for espionage and data processing. 

Beyond the single chamber near the cables, the unredacted plans also revealed a network of 208 secret rooms beneath the diplomatic site. The basement appears to allow for emergency backup generators, sprinkler systems, communications cabling and showers, suggesting that officials could remain underground for extended periods, potentially to operate or monitor equipment.

The construction plans have generally raised fears that the London complex could serve as a Beijing intelligence hub. According to U.K. outlet The Times, Britain has been pressured to reassure the United States and other intelligence partners that the cables do not transmit any sensitive government data.

Alicia Kearns, the shadow national security minister and prominent critic of the project, described the approval of the embassy as handing Beijing a strategic advantage against British interests.  

‘Giving China the go-ahead for its embassy site would be to gift them a launchpad for economic warfare at the very heart of the central nervous system of our critical financial national infrastructure,’ she said in a post on X.  

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